PSG and Inter prepare to serve up a continental treat in Bigger Cup final

With the 2024-25 season in Uefa-land drawing to its glamorous close, is there a better time to assess how the whole thing went down with everything considered in the round? Yes! But Football Daily doesn’t publish on Sunday morning, so let’s make the best of a bad lot. And it’s been a good year for English football all right. Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United went to the artistic and creative mecca of Bilbao and staged what can only be described as a dirty protest, a Chelsea squad worth £1,400,000,000 struggled against (though eventually steamrollered) a team collectively priced at 0.96% of a Mykhailo Mudryk, and it’s fair to say the rest of the continent will be extremely glad to see the back of us.

It was a close-run thing that there’s no English representation in Saturday’s Bigger Cup final, mind you. Paris Saint-Germain may have reached tomorrow’s mega-game by beating all four Premier League contenders, but it wouldn’t have taken too much for matters to pan out in a very different way altogether. Perhaps if Manchester City hadn’t, for a couple of John Bondian months, reverted to their 1977-2009 norm? Perhaps if Willian Pacho hadn’t been able to clear Ian Maatsen’s fine volley off the line during the last knockings at Villa Park? What if Liverpool’s analytics department had told Jürgen Klopp to cool his boots over Darwin Núñez? And how about a world in which Mikel Arteta didn’t spend his life obsessing over WWE-style corner routines and turned the attackers loose instead? Give the old open play a quick go? See what happens? Eh? The slim margins. And so it’s fair to say the rest of the continent will be extremely glad to see the back of us.

And yet, having said all that, Internazionale aren’t necessarily guaranteed to bring big smiles to the big event either. Anyone who speaks fondly of their 1964 and 1965 champions, Helenio Herrera, catenaccio, liberos and all, are trying way too hard, lying both to you and themselves. There’s a reason even some Rangers fans were cock-a-hoop when Celtic’s Lisbon Lions did their thing. Inter’s 2010 winners, meanwhile, are solely remembered these days for driving Barcelona up the wall and round the bend, the final that year almost an afterthought for José Mourinho, his main goal of breaking Po’ Pep’s noggin already achieved. Although to be scrupulously fair, Romelu Lukaku provided some primetime Saturday-night light entertainment two years ago when keeping goal for Manchester City. So it’s swings and roundabouts.

This year Inter could finally feature in a showpiece to remember, as anyone who watched their latest iteration’s gloriously batty defenestration of Barcelona in the semi-finals can attest. Admittedly their 7-6 aggregate win denied everyone the dream final showdown of Lamine Yamal and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, but it’d be churlish to deny Inter their destiny after their role in that instant classic, two matches that scraped the sky before finally breaking into heaven when Francesco Acerbi, 83½, celebrated his campaign-saving stunner with a joyous Fred-Astaire-style mid-air heel-click. Anything similarly thrilling and life-affirming tomorrow – e.g. Davide Frattesi pulling off exactly the same celebration but backwards and in high heels – and it’ll be an occasion to remember. We’re not there for a start, so have fun, Europe!

Follow England 4-2 Portugal in the Women’s Nations League with Xaymaca Awoyungbo tonight (7.45pm BST). And don’t forget to join us for Bigger Cup buildup on Saturday, before PSG 1-2 Inter (aet) live with Scott Murray (8pm BST).

“It doesn’t take a genius to work out that every attacking stat for Arsenal is down from what it was last year when they finished second. Then they finished second again. Whether it was the manager, or whether it was the top brass whose decision was it to go into the season without having a striker, it’s cost them dearly because they never really put up a serious fight to Liverpool” – Alan Shearer gets his chat on with Alexander Abnos, and appears to fancy a gig with AFTV.

“How do Chelsea fans feel about a £1bn+ investment yielding the Conference League trophy? To paraphrase Tina Turner, Wroclaw Got To Do With It?” – Peter Oh.

“Re: Thursday’s Football Daily main story – “I would rather defecate in [my] own hands and clap” will be my new method of refusal to various people for sundry suggestions from now on” – Simon McMenamin.

“Can we say Chelsea have Delap in their hands now?” – Krishna Moorthy.

Send letters to [email protected]. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Rollover. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.

Trent Alexander-Arnold and Bruno Fernandes have had plenty of battles down the years. For the record it’s W6 D5 L3 for the Liverpool right-back against Manchester United, while Fernandes has won just a single game in nine Premier League appearances when facing their fierce rivals. But who knows? Their next head-to-head could be an unexpected showdown in next month’s Club World Cup. After reports of being only prepared to pay Liverpool in cured meats and Panini stickers to get TAA in time for the big bash in the USA USA USA, Real are now willing to line Liverpool’s pockets with a boo-calming £10m when the transfer window opens on Sunday. Fernandes, meanwhile, is pondering whether taking a monstrous wage offer from Al-Hilal is a better option than losing friendlies to pub teams in Malaysia. Real Madrid face the Saudi side in the Club World Cup, so if Fernandes does do one, it’s on: Trent v Bruno on 18 June in Miami.

A former Royal Marine has appeared in court accused of driving into and injuring fans at Liverpool’s Premier League victory parade on Monday. Paul Doyle, 53, appeared at Liverpool magistrates court on Friday charged with offences including wounding and causing grievous bodily harm to six people.

West Ham have been fined £120,000 for homophobic chanting by fans during their 2-1 Premier League loss at Chelsea in February. The club accepted the FA charge of misconduct and have vowed to ban those involved from future matches.

Milan have reappointed Massimiliano Allegri as head coach, one day after sacking Sergio Conceição. Allegri won the scudetto in 2010-11 during his previous spell in charge at San Siro, and takes over a side with no European football next season.

Elsewhere in Italy, Raffaele Palladino has left his role as Fiorentina manager by mutual consent, just three weeks after signing a contract extension until 2027.

Kelly Simmons, the former FA director of professional women’s football, has said Big Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s remarks about Manchester United’s WSL side “send a signal … about what he thinks about women, not just the women’s game.”

Chelsea are poised to add Liam Delap to their attacking ranks after triggering the Ipswich hot-shot’s £30m release clause.

Having successfully kept Mohamed Salah on board amid Saudi interest, Liverpool have turned around to find Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal sidling up to Luis Díaz and Darwin Núñez respectively.

Manchester United have spoiled our fun by ending their post-season Asia tour with a win. Chido Obi scored twice in a 3-1 friendly win over a Hong Kong XI.

And fancy another trophy, Spurs fans? Tottenham will face either PSG or Inter in the Uefa Super Cup final on 13 August at Udinese’s Stadio Friuli.

Not so long ago, Michelle Agyemang was a ballgirl for Sarina Wiegman’s first England game at Wembley. Now the Arsenal star is chasing a place in the Euro 2025 squad, as she tells Tom Garry.

Tom also got his chat on with Esme Morgan, the England and Washington Spirit defender who’s hobnobbed with diplomats and adopted a kitten.

Xaymaca Awoyungbo takes in the Unity Cup, a tournament at Brentford’s Gtech Stadium for London’s diaspora communities to celebrate.

PSG have enjoyed a youthful, crowd-pleasing regeneration this season, but a Bigger Cup win for them is still an even bigger win for Qatar, writes Barney Ronay.

Philipp Lahm is looking forward to a France v Italy final on Saturday after years of Spanish and English teams making the big game.

In Switzerland, third-tier Biel-Bienne are taking on the mighty Basel/Basle/Barrrrl in the Cup final. Michael Yokhin charts their journey from bankruptcy to the big game.

On this day in 1979: a big Cup final in Munich, won by Nottingham Forest after Brian Clough’s side beat Malmö 1-0, Trevor Francis scoring the only goal. John Robertson (pictured left) got the winner when Forest defeated Hamburg to retain the title 12 months later in Madrid.